iPhone 7 rumors: Concept image packs edge-to-edge display

The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus[Photo credit: Apple]

A new iPhone 7 concept image features an edge-to-edge screen display from top to bottom of the device. 

The render was imagined by designer Martin Hajek who extended the screen all the way to the four edges of the smartphone. It has a touchscreen front panel that allows four icons to be placed beside the home button. The photo shows icons for camera, spotlight, Bluetooth and lockscreen. However, the icons will change based on the app or feature that the user is using. 

Hajek imagined two possibilities of how the next iPhone would look like. One is with full screen and the other is with narrow edges. Some of the other features of the current iPhone models are retained in their proper places like the TouchID fingerprint sensor, power and volume buttons and camera. However, the concept with narrowed edges places the earpiece on the top of the unit and not on the top of the screen. 

The other photos also show the layers of the screen panel although the material which the panel would be made of was not specified.  Nonetheless, it is expected to be more resilient and sturdier than the current screen display packed in iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which received criticisms over their brittle screens. 

Although the current iPhones were announced only recently, this has not stopped people from visualizing the devices' successors and what new features they think would be included. According to the grapevine, the iPhone 7 will pack futuristic features such as 3D screen display with sapphire covering, built-in projector, and organic battery. The inclusion of these high-tech features would undoubtedly bump up the price of the device. 

The iPhone 7 release date is still far off and will probably be announced no sooner than September 2015, just like the previous iPhone releases. 

Meanwhile, the Cupertino-based company offers no comment to the iPhone 7 rumors as the company is still busy delivering its new devices to the buyers.